Paul Magnier claimed his fourth stage win at the CRO Race. The Frenchman from Soudal Quick-Step took victory in the fifth stage by surviving the climbs in the finale and then winning the sprint from a reduced peloton. With Alex Molenaar (fifth) and Pepijn Reinderink (sixth), two Dutch riders finished in the top ten.
On the fifth day of the CRO Race, a 150-kilometer stage from Karlovac to Sveta Nedelja was on the schedule. The stage started relatively flat, but two climbs awaited in the finale. First the Novo Selo Okicko (1.5 km at 7.9%), then the Plesivica (7.4 km at 5.2%). From the top of that climb, it was still about fifteen kilometers to the finish.
Split) Sinj)Breakaway with two Dutch riders
Long before the riders reached the challenging finale, a breakaway of six men formed. Included were two riders from Metec Solarwatt p/b Mantel: Axel van der Tuuk and Casper van der Woude. Approaching the Novo Selo Okicko, the break split in two. The Dutchmen remained at the front with Martin Voltr (ATT Investments). Van der Woude then took maximum points on the Novo Selo Okicko climb and would overtake Brandon McNulty in the mountain classification.
On the next climb, Van der Woude had to drop back, and soon after Voltr also fell off the pace. The strong Van der Tuuk pushed on solo, but INEOS Grenadiers set such a high pace that the rider from Assen was caught just before the summit. This was done by the reduced peloton. On the descent, besides INEOS, Bahrain Victorious and UAE Emirates XRG took the initiative. They ensured the stage came down to a sprint in the streets of Sveta Nedelja.
Magnier’s fifth victory
Paul Magnier took full advantage here. The Frenchman, who had already won three stages in the CRO Race, was still in the reduced peloton and managed to win the sprint. This marked his fourth win in five days. Rui Oliveira took second place, while Pau Miquel claimed third.
CRO Race| Rank | Rider | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 03:29:48 | |
| 2 | " | |
| 3 | " | |
| 4 | " | |
| 5 | " | |
| 6 | " | |
| 7 | " | |
| 8 | " | |
| 9 | " | |
| 10 | " |
